Are Women Supposed To Preach?

"Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet."

1 Timothy 2:11-12

"I’ve never met a Christian woman, who, upon reading these verses for the first time joyfully embraced them without the slightest hint of balking, surprise or, “Wait, what?”. I have no doubt that such women are out there, somewhere, it’s just that I’ve never met one of them."These are the opening lines of Michelle Lesley's Post found here.

She continues; "For 21st century American Christian women, these are hard verses. Whether you’re old enough to remember bra burning and hard line feminists like Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda or you were born into a world replete with female engineers, construction workers, and urologists, you’ve probably been inundated with the “anything boys can do, girls can do better” message since the doctor announced, “It’s a girl!”

Below are some things I am fully in agreement with from this article because they are scriptural and for no other reason. I have no bone to pick with any woman or women in general, however I must stand against all women who assume to preach and teach men contrary to the clear instructions of the scripture. It doesn't matter what the woman likes or doesn't like about the command above because God expects his words to be obeyed. Who are we to argue against him? This is not a matter of gender either as some women and even some men might assume just because I am a man saying it. If God called women to preach I would have no issue at all with that. The truth is, however that he never did and it cannot be honestly proven otherwise!

Quotes from Michelle Lesley's post

that I am in full agreement with.

I applaud this honest confession from Michelle!"I’ve struggled with God’s instruction in these verses, trying to stretch it, Silly Putty style, into what I wanted it to mean, so that I could do what I wanted to do and still be “covered” biblicly. And, ladies, let me tell you something- that is a sinful, wicked, self-seeking, and self-centered way of approaching this or any other Scripture. An approach from which I have had to repent many, many times."

More Quotes

(All information from Michelle

is used with permission directly from Michelle)

"Looking for loopholes and exceptions and trying to see how close to the line of sin we can get without actually putting a toe over is a characteristic of a carnal mind,not a mind set on pleasing God."

"Godly women don’t look for ways to get around Scripture. Godly women look for ways to obey Scripture."

"So right off the bat, an important point we often miss about 1 Timothy is that it was written to a man, Timothy, a pastor, who would use this letter to train his elders (also men) and, subsequently, his congregation. That doesn’t mean that 1 Timothy doesn’t apply to women, or shouldn’t be studied by women, or that women aren’t required to obey

1 Timothy. It just means that when we open the letter of 1 Timothy, we need to understand that we, as women, are reading somebody else’s mail. Mail that pertains to us, yes, but mail that’s addressed to Timothy, and by extension, to pastors and elders today."

"Starting with Creation (not the Fall), God began laying out the pattern of male headship in the foundational institutions of His kingdom: Creation, the family, and the church. Man was created first, woman second. Man was given authority over creation and woman was specifically created for him, to be his helper. We also see male headship in the family. God requires husbands to take the primary leadership role and wives to submit to and respect their husbands.

And, finally, we see God’s design for male headship in the church, not only in overt passages like 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14, the description of qualifications for pastors and elders, and the precedent of male leadership in the Old Testament temple, but also in the beautiful picture of Christ, the bridegroom, as head of the church, His bride, who lovingly submits to Him.Starting with the very first man and woman, before sin entered the world, God initiated a pattern of male leadership."

"In God’s perfect plan, Janes and Jills are not to serve as pastors. They are not to preach to or teach men at Christian conferences or other gatherings of the body of Christ. They are not to teach co-ed Sunday School classes. They are not to serve in positions or places of authority over men in the church."

"But even though we daughters of Eve bear the taint of her reproach in this small way all these years later, God has graciously provided us with many, many ways to redeem the name of womankind by serving Him if we continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control."

I want to close this page with the words of scripture which I believe are

so plain that the meaning of them cannot be mistaken by anyone who genuinely wishes to obey God more than they wish to obey anyone.

Ephesians 5:22-33 King James Version (KJV)

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.I am sure this is the most difficult three words on this subject! (My note)

RULES FOR HUSBANDS

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

A FINAL WORD TO BOTH HUSBANDS AND WIVES

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.